8/11/16

The Daily Buzz For Aug 12

As the summer season draws to a close, superheroes slugged it out for dominance on the national home video sales charts the week ended Aug. 7.

Warner’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” remained at No. 1 on NPD VideoScan’s overall disc sales chart for the third consecutive week, but was booted to the No. 2 spot on the Blu-ray Disc-only chart by “Batman: The Killing Joke,” from Warner Bros. Animation, the 26th film in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies series.

R.H.o.A: Kim Zolciak Has Dinner With Khloe Kardashian: ‘I Guess I Should Just Move’ to L.A.

What more could she need? Real Housewives of Atlanta alum Kim Zolciak took to Instagram on Wednesday, August 10, to let her fans know that she had dinner with Khloé Kardashian, an experience that apparently inspired her to believe she belongs in Los Angeles.

The 38-year-old mom of six — who now stars on the RHOA spinoff series Don’t Be Tardy — shared a photo of herself and the Keeping Up With the Kardashians personality, 32, enjoying a meal with twin pals Malika and Khadijah Haqq, as well as Zolciak’s husband, Kroy Biermann.

This isn’t the first time the Georgia peach has flaunted her friendship with the former Kocktails With Khloé host via social media. In July 2015, she posted a photo of herself and her 19-year-old daughter, Brielle, kicking it with Kardashian and the Haqq sisters.

Not only is Zolciak completely enamored by the Strong Looks Better Naked author, she is a huge fan of the entire Kardashian clan. On August 9, she revealed that she never misses an episode of KUWTK after implying that Bravo could learn a thing or two from the long-running reality series.

“I love how quick KUWTK turns their episodes around, they film it then it airs within weeks!” the “Google Me” singer wrote on Twitter. “Wish we did. Can’t wait for tonight’s episode.”

Though she may long to live a Kardashian lifestyle, Zolciak has admitted that she is a “homebody” and is totally in love with her massive Atlanta mansion.

“I never like to leave my house," she told Access Atlanta in April 2014. "I'm kind of a homebody. When we built this house we built it so we had everything we needed — the gym, the movie theater, whatever we wanted to do. I don't have to get all dolled up. I just throw my hair on top of my head and I got my sweatpants on and my 15-year-old bathrobe that I love and I'm just at home, hanging out with my kids.”

Bravo’s Don’t Be Tardy returns for its fifth season on Wednesday, September 14, at 10 p.m. ET

Taraji P. Henson will guest star on The Simpsons as it airs its first hourlong episode in January. According to Deadline, the Empire star will play Praline, the ex-wife of rapper/music mogul, Jazzy James (played by Keegan-Michael Key).

More from Deadline:

The episode titled “The Great Phatsby,” follows Mr. Burns (Harry Shearer) as he tries to relive his glory days and crosses paths with a mysterious music mogul. After being conned by him and reduced to bankruptcy, Mr. Burns seeks revenge on the producer with the help of Homer, Bart, rapper Jazzy James (Key) and the mogul’s ex-wife, Praline (Henson). Also in the episode, Lisa (Yeardley Smith) is courted by the richest kid in town, Smithers (Shearer) begins a perilous journey and Marge (Julie Kavner) opens an obscure boutique store.

The animated series’ 28th season will see its premiere on Sunday, September 25th at 8 p.m. on FOX.

New Music from Janelle Monáe – Hum Along & Dance (Gotta Get Down)

The upcoming Netflix show The Get Down, which chronicles hip-hop’s beginnings in the South Bronx, promises to have a stellar soundtrack, which is executive produced by Nas.

Last week, Miguel shared “Cadillac,” the first song from the show’s soundtrack, and now, Janelle Monáe premieres her anticipated contribution, “Hum Along & Dance (Gotta Get Down).”

“I don’t do a lot of sampling, but they had the rights to the Jackson 5’s “Hum Along & Dance,” so this was sample. I worked with Jeff Bhasker and Emile, once we got in the studio together we just picked parts that we love and that’s how we made the music,” explained Monáe to Ebro on Beats 1.

“So, it was inspired by the Jackson 5 and I just basically put Janelle Monáe on it. I wanted to keep the essence of Jackson 5, Michael is one of my heroes. As I was recording this song I was envisioning a world where color was not the center of attention, it wasn’t about black and white, green and yellow, but we were all on the dance floor together, living and breathing as one.”

LISTEN HERE

The Get Down: Original Soundtrack From The Netflix Original Series will be released on Friday, Aug. 12. You can pre-order it on iTunes now. Hear Janelle talk about her contribution, and preview “Hum Along & Dance (Gotta Get Down)”

Rae Sremmurd Announces ‘SremmLife 2 Tour’ with Lil Yachty

Rae Sremmurd and Lil Yachty are about to sail so far out of sight on the “SremmLife 2 Tour.”

Hot off the release of their alien-themed video for “Set the Roof,” the Mississippi duo has announced its first-ever headlining jaunt. Set to kick off Oct. 1 in New Orleans, the trek will feature Lil Yachty and special guests Eearz, Bobo Swae, and Impxct as opening acts.

The 27-date tour will go through North America, hitting cities like Atlanta, Toronto, Houston, Denver, and San Francisco before coming to an end in San Diego on Nov. 16.

The announcement comes just days ahead of Rae Sremmurd’s sophomore album SremmLife 2, which arrives Friday. The follow-up to last year’s hit-filled SremmLife features contributions from Mike WiLL Made-It, Gucci Mane, Kodak Black, and Juicy J.

General tickets for “SremmLife 2 Tour” go on sale this Friday with early access tickets going up on Thursday. See tour dates below.

SremmLife 2 Tour Dates

Oct. 1 – New Orleans, LA – Republic New Orleans

Oct. 2 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle

Oct. 4 – St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live

Oct. 5 – Orlando, FL – Hard Rock Live

Oct. 7 – Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory*

Oct. 9 – Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre

Oct. 10 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant

Oct. 11 – Kansas City, MO – Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland

Oct. 14 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave

Oct. 15 – Minneapolis, MN – Zombie Pub Crawl*

Oct. 17 – Boston, MA – House of Blues

Oct. 18 – Toronto, ON – Sound Academy

Oct. 22 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall

Oct. 23 – Norfolk, VA – The NorVa

Oct. 24 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE

Oct. 25 – Richmond, VA – The National

Oct. 26 – Charlotte, NC – Fillmore

Oct. 31 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom

Nov. 1 – Houston, TX – Revention Music Center

Nov. 3 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre

Nov. 5 – Salt Lake City, UT – Rockwell @ The Complex*

Nov. 7 – Vancouver, BC – PNE Forum

Nov. 8 – Seattle, WA – Showbox Sodo

Nov. 9 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom

Nov. 10 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield

Nov. 12 – Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theatre

Nov. 16 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory

* No Supporting Acts!

Olympic QUEEN Simone Biles wins Olympic gold, All by herself!

Forget the pressure. Forget the hype. Call her QUEEN because Simone Biles is immune to all of it.

Dynamic on vault. Effortless on beam. Jaw-dropping on floor. Brilliant all over. And now, finally, an Olympic champion.

The 19-year-old American soared to the all-around title on Wednesday afternoon, putting the gap between herself and the rest of the world on full display under the Olympic spotlight. Her total of 62.198 was well clear of silver medalist and “Final Five” teammate Aly Raisman and Russian bronze medalist Aliya Mustafina.

Biles became the fourth straight American woman to win the all-around title and fifth overall while cementing her reputation as the greatest gymnast of her generation and perhaps ever. Her victory was never in doubt and she burst into tears when her long journey to this moment ended when her final total was posted.

Jennifer Lopez to Play Drug Lord Griselda Blanco in HBO Film

Jennifer Lopez is about to become the “Cocaine Godmother” in an HBO film about famed drug lord Griselda Blanco.

The singer-actress’ Nuyorican Productions and LBI Entertainment are working on a film that focuses on the life and death of Blanco, who is known for her role in drug trafficking in the 1970s and ’80s.

Lopez will play the role of Blanco and she is also set to executive produce the film along with Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Benny Medina, Julie Yorn, and Rick Yorn, among others.

“I’ve been fascinated by the life of this corrupt and complicated woman for many years,” Lopez said, according to Deadline. “The idea of teaming with HBO felt like the perfect fit for finally bringing Griselda’s story to life.”

Blanco has been the focus of rap lyrics, as well. “Karma catches up to all you head honchos,” The Game rapped on “See No Evil.” “Two dome shots in that head, Griselda Blanco.”

The “Cocaine Godmother,” also known as the “Black Widow” and “Cocaine Cowgirl,” was shot and killed in Medellín, Colombia in 2012. She was 69.

Currently, Lopez is on the other side of the law as a star on “Shades of Blue,” an NBC drama in which she plays a police officer. She also executive produces that series with Goldsmith-Thomas and Medina. Nuyorican Productions has also worked on “The Fosters” and The Boy Next Door.

SADNESS: ESPN’s John Saunders Dead At 61

John Saunders, a member of ESPN’s team for 30 years, died Wednesday. He was 61.

Saunders joined the sports television network in 1986 to anchor “SportsCenter.” He was also a host of ABC’s Saturday studio coverage of college football, editions of ESPN’s “College Football Live” and ESPN’s college basketball studio coverage.

More recently, Saunders co-hosted NFL highlight segments on Sunday night editions of “SportsCenter” throughout the NFL season. Saunders was also known as a founding member of the board of directors for the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

President of ESPN John Skipper issued the following statement:

John was an extraordinary talent and his friendly, informative style has been a warm welcome to sports fans for decades. His wide range of accomplishments across numerous sports and championship events is among the most impressive this industry has ever seen. More importantly, John was a beloved and devoted family man who cared deeply about people and causes, as evidenced by his long-standing efforts as a passionate board member for The V Foundation for Cancer Research. He was one of the most significant and influential members of the ESPN family, as a colleague and mentor, and he will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this extremely difficult time.

The exact cause of Saunders’ death has not been made public. Saunders is survived by his wife, Wanda, and two daughters, Aleah and Jenna. Our condolences go out to his Family!

Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg’s “The High Road Tour” is bound to be one for the books.

Last week, a railing collapsed in New Jersey, injuring 40 concertgoers while the Mary Jane lovers were on stage. On Sunday night, 43 people were thrown in jail for underage drinking during their set at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Here’s the tea….A handful of kids got wasted during a tailgate hours before the show. 11-13 underage concertgoers got so twisted they ended up in the hospital for alcohol poisoning. In fact, about 35 people total were treated for alcohol poisoning.

TMZ reports an 18-year-old was so tore up he fell face first, injuring his nose and mouth. Ouch!

The Times Union reports in addition to the arrests, fake licenses were recovered from Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and South Carolina. Not only that, an additional 24 fraudulent documents were recovered within the venue as well. Now, a follow up investigation has been launched to get to the bottom of the fake IDs.

It’s being reported that the concert was understaffed with security with a total of 14 police officers monitoring the 14,000 concertgoers. Yikes!

Hope those involved are OK. This tour is bringing all types of foolery.

It’s finally here! Britney Spears promised us ‘Clumsy’ and she certainly delivered! After teasing the new song, she just dropped her sexiest track yet Aug 10! The hit is sure to set the tone for her highly anticipated album, scheduled for release on August 26! Listen to her new song right here!

Britney, 34, just released “Clumsy” which is the third song to drop from her heavily awaited ninth studio album, and to no surprise, it’s straight fire! The new track, which she teased earlier this week on Twitter, dropped on Spotify and it’s exactly the jam we’ve been waiting for from her! Her vocals are more powerful than on any of her songs in recent memory as she commands, “Clumsy, Bangin’ all over this bedroom, C-clumsy, c-clumsy, Bangin’ all over this bedroom” with so much sass! The strong beat and and bluesy feel are something we haven’t heard from Britney before, and it is AMAZING! Seriously, her voice hasn’t sounded this great in ages, as she uses her full high and low range like she did way back on “Toxic.”

The singer graced us with her first single “Make Me” featuring G-Eazy July 14, and it’s a fresh, catchy hit that gave us old Brit vibes combined with a modern upbeat twist. SO good! Just when we thought we were safe from our Brit obsession taking us over completely, she dropped bombshell album news! Brit posted a photo of her gorgeous album cover art on Instagram and revealed that the her record titled, Glory would be available August 26 on Apple Music. This is her first album to come out in three years and she even gifted her loyal fans with a chance to pre-order it, and in return they got a first listen to another song from it, “Private Show.”

*A GoFundMe account has been launched to assist one of Prince’s former drummers as he recovers from brain tumors that nearly took his life, reports KTHV.

John Blackwell, Jr., who performed with Prince for 15 years, as well as for Patti LaBelle and Justin Timberlake, is considered a master drummer and has performed all around the globe. But it all came to a terrifying halt during a recent gig in Japan.

“I got to Japan and this.” He picks up his lifeless left hand and then drops it and adds, “And this left leg just dropped out on me.”

Blackwell is now recovering at Tampa General Hospital’s Rehabilitation Center following major surgery to remove tumors in his brain. He currently spends his days learning how to walk again and receiving rehabilitative therapy.

“I get lazy as everybody knows. I’ll be like, ‘I don’t want to go,’ but then something tells me in my mind, ‘Hey bro if I’m going to get out of here and get back to the drums … go to your therapy.'”

Prince, whom Blackwell looked to as a father figure, recruited him to join his stable of musicians. Blackwell says a friend recently told him that he can just imagine Prince calling him to play, even from heaven. Blackwell laughed saying, “I can hear Prince now say ‘I’ll just call John.’ No you ain’t! I don’t want to do that gig. Not yet.”

John has medical insurance but isn’t able to earn a living when he’s not playing so a special GoFundMe account has been set up for him to accept donations. John is also in the process of writing a book about his time performing not only with Prince, Timberlake, LaBelle and other artists.

Young Buck Hit With 7 Month Jail Sentence

A year filled with numerous legal setbacks has reached its peak for Tennessee rapper Young Buck.

In the words of Young Buck, he has lost his “freedom” yet again. The G-Unit wordsmith shared the news of his latest legal debacle via an Instagram post uploaded (August 10).

He revealed that things didn’t go quite as planned for him and asked that 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, Kidd Kidd, Lloyd Banks, and his fans hold him down during his time behind bars.

Billboard reports that Buck will serve seven months in jail after violating the conditions of his release and probation, following an arrest last month.

In July, the musician was arrested after alledgedly threatening (via text) to burn down his ex-girlfriend’s home. Although Buck did not burn down the home, he reportedly showed up to his ex’s house and kicked down her door.

In the early reactions to Suicide Squad, there’s much talk about the film’s use of The Joker, played in the film by Jared Leto. It’s been pointed out, by critics, fans and Leto himself, that the character isn’t as big a part of Suicide Squad as the film’s marketing suggested. The Joker disappears for long stretches, he’s not given much background or depth and the main plot of the movie has little to do with him. Others have pointed out that considering how much media attention Leto drew with his on-set antics, maybe all of that manic method acting wasn’t worth the trouble.

Most critics and fans have reacted to this development by, well, criticizing it, writing negatively about it, and/or otherwise disapproving it through normal channels. However, one filmgoer is taking things a lot further: they’re threatening to take Warner Bros. Pictures and DC to court, on the account of “false advertising.”

A poster on the Reddit subreddit r/movies says he – along with his brother, who is a lawyer- “are going to sue WB and DC for false advertising, misleading visual images and gaining a profit from us and millions others due to these acts.” The poster, who lives in the U.K., points out specific scenes that were included in the trailer for Suicide Squad but did not end up in the finished film. Strangely, in this era of DC/Marvel fan confrontations, the poster goes by the username “BlackPanther2016.” His argument:

Suicide Squad trailers showcased several SPECIFIC Joker scenes that I had to pay for the whole movie just so that I can go watch those SPECIFIC SCENES that WB/DC had advertised in their trailers and TV spots. These scenes are: When Joker banged his head on his car window, when Joker says, ”let me show you my toys”, when Joker punchs the roof of his car, when Joker drops a bomb with his face all messed up and says, ”BYE BYE!”. Non of these scenes were in the movie. I drove 300 miles to London to go watch these specific scenes they had explicitly advertised in their TV ads…and they didn’t show them to me.

The poster goes on to complain about scenes with Katana that weren’t in the film and notes that he was laughed at and kicked out when he asked the theater manager for his money back. He concludes that he doesn’t want to have to wait for the ”deluxe premium special directors gold extended edition supreme cut’‘ to finally get a look at the scenes he wanted.

Now, assuming this person isn’t posting this as an elaborate joke or troll, it seems likely that such a lawsuit would be quickly laughed out of court. Most filmgoers are aware that marketing is marketing, movie trailers and commercials are often produced long before the film is finished, and there’s always a chance things they liked in the marketing materials won’t end up in the finished film. There’s no evidence that Warner or DC purposely kept things out of Suicide Squad‘s theatrical cut in order to defraud filmgoers.

Moreover, all of the commercials and trailers the poster liked so much remain easily accessible on YouTube and the plaintiff is free to look at them whenever he wants. Perhaps the false advertising laws are different in the U.K. from the U.S., but the odds of this lawsuit having any sort of success don’t seem particularly high. That said, the poster does have a fair point about the tendency to release “deluxe premium special directors gold extended edition supreme cut.”